5 Simple Ways to Conserve Water in Your Home

Mother Nature and your monthly budget will thank you for your effort. Pixabay

Water is one of the most abundant substances on earth, but that doesn’t mean it’s free or endless. Not only can practicing simple water conservation techniques help the planet out in the long run, but they can also put more money back in your pocket. Here are five water-saving techniques that you can do every day from the comfort of your home.

Most people don’t consume 4 pounds of ice a day, which is what the average refrigerator can produce in 24 hours. Investing in refillable ice trays can help you save gallons of water per week. You also won’t be spooked when the fridge drops ice into a plastic bin late at night.

Don’t Overwater Your Plants, and Embrace Watering Bulbs

Knowing the exact watering needs of both your house and garden plants can be pleasantly welcoming. Buying and using watering bulbs can take the guesswork out of watering your plants while also making sure you don’t overdo it.

Wash Your Clothes and Dishes in Larger Loads

When possible, do your laundry in larger loads as opposed to doing several smaller loads throughout the week. Most washing machines use the same cycle lengths and nearly 75 percent of the same amount of water in all load sizes. By simply eliminating small laundry loads for single larger loads, you can save time, money, and water in one fell swoop. Also, check that you’re only running the dishwasher on a full load to maximize your home’s efficiency.

Leaving the tap running while cleaning your teeth and scrubbing your face is a common source of water waste in almost every household. If you were to turn off the faucet while doing either of those activities, you could save dozens of gallons of water daily. On average, brushing your teeth with the water running uses 4 gallons of water, while showering uses roughly 17. Turn the water off in between washing and rinsing can cut those numbers in half.

Water conservation, especially in the home, is a win-win situation for your wallet, our planet, and your spare time. Adopting just one of these fixes can bring about a huge change to your life that goes far beyond your home. Mother Nature and your monthly budget will thank you for your effort.

The report also highlighted that India uses the largest amount of groundwater -- 24 per cent of the global total and the country is the third largest exporter of groundwater -- 12 per cent of the global total.

Global groundwater depletion - where the amount of water taken from aquifers exceeds the amount that is restored naturally - increased by 22 per cent between 2000 and 2010, said the report, adding that India's rate of groundwater depletion increased by 23 per cent during the same period. Pixabay

As many as one billion people in India live in areas of physical water scarcity, of which 600 million are in areas of high to extreme water stress, according to a new report.

Globally, close to four billion people live in water-scarce areas, where, for at least part of the year, demand exceeds supply, said the report by non-profit organisation WaterAid.

This number is expected to go up to five billion by 2050, said the report titled “Beneath the Surface: The State of the World’s Water 2019”, released to mark World Water Day on March 22.

Pure water droplet. Pixabay

Physical water scarcity is getting worse, exacerbated by growing demand on water resources and and by climate and population changes.

By 2040 it is predicted that 33 countries are likely to face extremely high water stress – including 15 in the Middle East, most of Northern Africa, Pakistan, Turkey, Afghanistan and Spain. Many – including India, China, Southern Africa, USA and Australia – will face high water stress.

Globally, close to four billion people live in water-scarce areas, where, for at least part of the year, demand exceeds supply, said the report by non-profit organisation WaterAid. Pixabay

Global groundwater depletion – where the amount of water taken from aquifers exceeds the amount that is restored naturally – increased by 22 per cent between 2000 and 2010, said the report, adding that India’s rate of groundwater depletion increased by 23 per cent during the same period.

The report also highlighted that India uses the largest amount of groundwater — 24 per cent of the global total and the country is the third largest exporter of groundwater — 12 per cent of the global total.

The WaterAid report warned that food and clothing imported by wealthy Western countries are making it harder for many poor and marginalised communities to get a daily clean water supply as high-income countries buy products with considerable “water footprints” – the amount of water used in production — from water-scarce countries. (IANS)